Ryan’s Pov
When Aurora left my office earlier, I couldn’t take it anymore. She deserved to know the truth, the truth about who I was, what I was. She was blaming herself, feeling things she thought were wrong, and I couldn’t let her carry that weight. She needed to understand.
So I went to her.
Standing outside her door, I tried to gather my thoughts. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it was necessary. I knocked, and when she opened the door, seeing her standing there in just a towel nearly threw all my plans out the window.
But I pushed past the distraction, walked inside, and closed the door behind me.
“Ryan, you can’t be here,” she said immediately, her voice sharp but unsteady. “We shouldn’t be seen alone. You need to leave.”
Her words stung, but I kept my focus. “Aurora, I need to talk to you,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm. “I need you to listen to me, just for a minute.”
I dragged her to the couch and sat her down.
She crossed her arms, her body tense. “No. There’s nothing you need to say. Go back to your fiancee. Whatever this is, it was a mistake, and it needs to stop.”
I felt a surge of frustration. Why wouldn’t she just listen? I moved closer to her, trying to bridge the gap between us.
I didn’t even realize what I was doing until it happened. Before I could think, I kissed her.
The world seemed to pause.
Her lips were soft, and for a moment, she didn’t pull away. For a moment, she kissed me back, and it felt like everything I’d been holding in, everything I couldn’t say, was pouring out in that kiss.
Then she pushed me back, and I let her.
She stood there, staring at me, her chest rising and falling as if she’d just run a marathon. But then I saw it, the moment she noticed my eyes.
She froze.
“What the hell are you?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I didn’t look away. I couldn’t. There was no point in hiding anymore. I let her see it, let her see the part of me I’d kept hidden from everyone for so long.
Her eyes widened, and she backed up against the wall. “Stay back,” she said, shaking her head.
“Aurora,” I said, stepping toward her. My voice was rough, strained. I was trying so hard to stay in control, but seeing her fear, her confusion, it was too much.
“No!” she screamed, the sound piercing the room.
The scream triggered something deep inside me, something primal. I let out a low growl, a sound that came from a place I couldn’t control.
Her reaction was immediate. She fell to her knees, trembling, her hands clasped together as if she was pleading. “Please don’t kill me,” she whispered, her voice shaky and full of tears.
My heart sank. Really?
“Damn it, Aurora,” I muttered under my breath as I knelt down in front of her. “I’m not going to hurt you. Look at me.”
She didn’t. She turned her head away, covering her face with her arms like a child hiding from a monster. And maybe, in her eyes, that’s exactly what I was. A monster.
I closed my eyes for a second and forced myself to calm down. When I opened them again, I knew they were back to normal.
“Look at me,” I said softly this time.
She peeked up slowly, her face streaked with tears. Her eyes were red and puffy, and seeing her like that made me feel like the biggest bastard on the planet. I hadn’t meant to scare her, not like this.
I sighed. “I just needed you to listen,” I said, my voice low. “That’s all I wanted.”
“I won’t hurt you, just trust me.”
Her gaze flickered to mine, but there was still fear there, lingering in the depths of her eyes. She didn’t say anything, and for a moment, I thought she might start screaming again.
Instead, she wiped at her face, her movements shaky. “What… what are you?” she asked again, her voice barely a whisper.
I sat back on my heels, running a hand through my hair. “I’ll explain,” I said. “But you need to calm down first. Can you do that for me?”
Her lips trembled as she nodded, but the fear was still there, and I hated that I was the cause of it.
I reached out my hand, offering it to her. Aurora hesitated, her body trembling, but eventually, she let me help her up. Her hand felt so small and cold in mine. I led her to the couch, but when we reached it, she immediately pulled away and sat on the farthest end, like she couldn’t stand to be near me.
I clenched my jaw. Why are you avoiding me, Aurora? I thought. The distance between us stung more than I wanted to admit.
“Take it slow,” my wolf, Draven growled in the back of my mind. “Explain it to her bit by bit. She’s terrified. You can’t rush this.”
“Do I have to teach you everything?” He asked.
I took a deep breath and crouched down in front of her, keeping my movements slow and deliberate. “I’ll explain everything,” I said softly, locking eyes with her. “If it helps you feel more comfortable, I’ll show you.”
Without waiting for her response, I let my other nature come forward, just enough for her to see. My eyes glowed Red for a moment, my claws extending slightly before I pulled it back under control.
Aurora gasped, her hands clutching the edge of the couch as if she were ready to run. Her eyes were wide, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She was so fucking terrified. She could literally pass out.
“I’m a werewolf,” I said, my voice steady but low.
Her jaw dropped. “What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I’m a werewolf,” I repeated, watching her closely.
Aurora’s eyes widened so much I thought they might actually pop out. “What?” she asked again, louder this time, her tone high-pitched and disbelieving.
I stayed calm. “You heard me.”
For a second, I thought she might cry. Her lips trembled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. But then, unexpectedly, she started laughing. It wasn’t a light laugh; it was almost hysterical, like she’d just heard the funniest thing in the world.
I frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re joking, right?” she said between gasps of laughter. “A werewolf? Seriously? You could’ve just said you were a demon or something. Werewolves aren’t real. What are you really? Did you make some deal with the devil or something?”
“Or maybe I’m just dreaming, this is a dream right?” She told herself before continuing light slapping herself as if she was going to wake up or something.
“Stop doing that,” I said a little bit too harshly.
I could see the fear behind her laughter, though. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her body tense despite the humor she was trying to force.
“Aurora,” I said firmly, “listen to me. Don’t say anything until I’m done. I’ll make this quick, but you need to hear everything.”
Her laughter died down, replaced by a guarded expression. She nodded stiffly, her eyes wary.
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to gather my thoughts. “In two days, we’re going to Shadowhaven. That’s where I’m from. You’ll understand more when we get there, but for now, there’s one thing you need to know: I’m a werewolf. Not just any werewolf. I’m an alpha.”
“Alpha?” she repeated.
I nodded. “Yes. The leader. You’ve heard people call me that before, haven’t you?”
She blinked, her brows furrowing. “I… yeah,”
“Caleb is a beta,” I continued. “He’s my second-in-command. Karen, my fiancee, is also a werewolf. If she marries me, she’ll become my Luna, the female leader alongside me. But…”
I hesitated, my throat tightening.
“But?” Aurora pressed, her voice quieter now.
“But I don’t love her,” I admitted. “Our bond is… ceremonial. In our world, we’re born with mates. True mates. The other half of our soul. Sometimes, we find them young…. before they turn eighteen. But not always. I waited for years, Aurora. I thought my mate was gone. Lost.”
Aurora’s face was pale, her expression unreadable.
“Karen’s mate, Asher, he died,” I said, keeping my tone gentle. “After that, our packs decided to bond us to strengthen our alliance. It was a political decision, nothing more. But…”
“I do not have any form of emotional attachment to her, and I’ve told her about it so many times, that is why I’ve not married her till this day.”
I leaned forward slightly, my voice dropping to a near whisper. “You’re my true mate, Aurora. The lost one I thought I’d never find. Not Karen. You.”
Her look was very intense. She didn’t say a thing. I get that she was trying to grasp everything I just said, but the silence was killing.
Aurora’s breath hitched, and she shook her head, her body trembling. “No,” she whispered. “No, that’s not possible.”
“I never knew werewolves are real, I still think that I am dreaming and all of this is not real. So how am I your ummm Luna,” She asked, her expression confused.
“It is,” I said firmly. “You feel it, don’t you? That pull, that connection? It’s not just attraction, Aurora. It’s deeper than that.”
Her hands flew to her mouth, and she stared at me like I’d just told her the world was ending. “I-I don’t… I can’t…”
I reached out, but she flinched, pulling back as tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
The pain in her voice felt like a punch to the gut, but I stayed where I was, my hand frozen in mid-air. “Aurora, I’m not here to hurt you,” I said softly. “I just need you to trust me. Please.”
Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something other than fear. It was fleeting, but it was there. Doubt. Confusion. And maybe, just maybe, a tiny sliver of trust.